Nautilus Minerals’ Production Support Vessel (PSV) was launched today at the Mawei shipyard in China, the company said in its latest release.
The vessel will be used by Nautilus and its partner, Eda Kopa (Solwara) Limited at the Solwara 1 project site, in the Bismarck Sea off Papua New Guinea.
Mike Johnston, Nautilus’ CEO, said: “ Today’s launch is a significant milestone for the company and the deep water seafloor mining industry. Mawei yard has designed and built the world’s first deep sea mining production support vessel, in cooperation with Nautilus and Marine Assets Corporation.”
“This has involved much discussion, thought and innovation, to produce this magnificent vessel. The yard’s efforts have been truly amazing, and I would like to thank the management and team at Mawei Shipbuilding for the terrific work that has been done to get the vessel to this stage of completion.
“We believe that mining the seafloor for much needed minerals will be a more cost effective and environmentally friendly source of obtaining high grade copper, gold and silver.”
The Production Support Vessel (PSV) provides a stable platform for operations using dynamic positioning technologies to ensure it stays on location at Solwara 1 irrespective of wind and wave conditions, said the company.
The PSV, as launched today, is approximately 75% complete with the final vessel delivery currently scheduled for March 31, 2019.